Storytime Came To Life For Reading Downtown Day

The Forbes community had so much fun celebrating Reading Downtown Day on Monday 24 November at the Forbes Town Hall, with a special live performance of Mr Huff.

The performance was brought to life by Meerkat Productions, Mr Huff is an awardwinning children’s book about the clouds and the sunshine in each of our lives.

Through music, movement and storytell­ing, children discover positive coping skills and practical wellbeing Strategies. This adaptation of Mr Huff supports schools in creating a strong wellbeing culture and aligns with the Australian Curriculum focus on Personal and Social Capability.

The program is designed to help stu­dents recognise, name and manage their emotions, building resilience, self-aware­ness and emotional intelligence in ways that stick.

The special event was a partnership be­tween Forbes Shire Council, Forbes North Schools as Community Centres (SaCC) and Forbes Birth to Kinder, bringing the community together to celebrate literacy, learning and wellbeing.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said it is won­derful to see local partnerships supporting fun and meaningful events for families.

“Reading Downtown Day is such a spe­cial event because it inspires children to discover the joy of reading. It’s so wonder­ful to be able to do something different this year for the community that’s interactive and fun,” Mayor Miller said.

Hosted annually, Reading Downtown Day aims to raise awareness about the im­portance of reading to children from a very young age.

This year marked the 21st year of the event in Forbes. Forbes North Schools SaCC committee member, Maree Yapp, said the group is proud to be celebrating over two decades of encouraging early lit­eracy.

“It’s amazing to see how the event con­tinues to grow,” Mrs Yapp said.

“Reading Downtown Day is all about showing families how powerful reading with children can be. It builds connection, confidence and a lifelong love of learning.”i